Student flyer with fannies won't fly by Bradley Wilson

Student Media oF

North

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UNiverSity

“Censorship is the control of speech and other forms of human expression…. The visible motive of censorship is often to stabilize or improve the society that the government would have control over.” Wikipedia

PHOTO BY AUSTIN DOWD

‘Student ﬂier with fannies won’t ﬂy’

censorship? A CASE STUDY OF ONE PHOTO TAKEN FOR THE STUDENT MEDIA AT NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

Another teachable moment for student, administrators

he Technician is, as the nameplate says, more than 1,500 packets before pulling the fli“The Student Newspaper of North Caro- ers, after getting upset with a photographer trylina State University.” By practice, it is a ing to document the Orientation staff at work. The fliers were put back into the public forum for student opinion and the edipackets. Then, after stuffing all tor has the final say regarding the content 6,000 of them into the packets, of the publication. It, however, the director of orientation isn’t alone. It is part of questioned the content with the Student Media famm o c . other academic administraily that includes five other e nlin o n a i tors none of whom was willmedia and has some 300 chnic e story. e t t i s h ing to make the call to pull student employees that proVi for t the flier. Then, one day before duce everything from Web Orientation, Provost Larry Nielsen was, sites to radio spots to in-house as he said, the only executive officer in Holladay marketing materials. North Carolina State Univer- sity is a land- Hall, and he made the decision to pull the flier grant institution with 30,149 students as of the with no input from anyone in Student Media. fall of 2005, making it the largest university in North Carolina. Electrical engineering, business LESSONS LEARNED management, and computer science are the most • The Orientation office needs to make clear the standards for material in the Orientation popular majors on campus, but communication packets and needs to hold everyone, not just is also popular. However, there is no degree in Student Media, accountable for those stanjournalism, only a minor. dards. The material contained in this case study is • Administrators need not to make decisions meant to serve as an educational tool for student in a vacuum but should consult those involved journalists at North Carolina State University and before decisions are made that (a) cost money; other institutions. No names have been changed. and (b) waste considerable time and effort. Dates and specific events are detailed as they occurred. Because a student newspaper is a “work • Student Media recruitment materials need to be more representative of all of the Student in progress,” it’s also a story without end. Media and photographers need to make efThis case started with the publication of a forts to document all Student Media, not just Student Media recruitment flier, not an issue the Technician. of the newspaper or yearbook. Throughout the Initially, the provost’s decision, against the adentire event, both the provost and vice chancellor for student affairs were adamant that they vice of the University attorney, was that the fliwould never order the removal of content from ers couldn’t be distributed at all. He later backed the student media, which serve as public forums down on that decision and ordered stickers put for student opinion. However, as the provost said, on only the fliers in the Orientation packets so that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t try to “influ- Student Media could meet its recruitment goals yet avoid potential problems with the photo that ence the content.” Other factors came into play. A student made the provost perceived. the initial call to pull the fliers out of the packBradley Wilson ets without authority after an altercation with a Coordinator of Student Media Advising photographer. The two events may not be con- North Carolina State University nected, but the Orientation staff had stuffed

? d e nsor

Timeline March 19

St. Patrick’s Day; Shamrock Streakers visit campus classrooms; streaking is an annual tradition on St. Patrick’s Day

March 20

Technician has pageone coverage of streakers

June 9

Fliers submitted to ImageMedia as fullpage postcards

June 23

June 24-30

June 27

technicianonline.com

Orientation staff scheduled to stuff newstudent packets from 6-11 p.m.; at least 1,500 packets stuffed per night Photographer asked to leave “stuffing sessions” by Orientation staff at around 7 p.m. “Unnamed” sources report that fliers were taken from the packets at around 9 a.m.

June 28

At around 10 a.m., Wilson, Dukes and Harrell met with Roxanna McGraw in an impromptu meeting in Witherspoon to make her aware of our concerns; she said she was not aware fliers were pulled At around 5 p.m., McGraw confirms that fliers were removed but that they would be placed back into packets

June 30

Christy Rain calls; John Ambrose is in Evelyn Reiman’s office wanting to know if fliers had approval; Bradley confirmed with him that they did

June 30

Wilson and Zack drop off copies of the Technician New Student Orientation Issue with John Ambrose at around 1 p.m.; no discussion of the recruitment piece

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Raleigh, North Carolina

Messaging may violate campaign regulations Facebook provides platform for digital campaigning, virtual violations

Items delivered to New Student Orientation in Lee Hall per instructions at 1 p.m.

June 28

TECHNICIAN I=: HIJ9:CI C:LHE6E:G D; CDGI= 86GDA>C6 HI6I: JC>K:GH>IN H>C8:

Haley Huie Deputy News Editor

AUSTIN DOWD/TECHNICIAN

In celebration of St. Patrick’s day, David Woolard, senior in mechanical engineering, draws a clover on the white-board of a math class in Harrelson. Woolard ran into the class wearing only paint and a blue thong, drew on the board and ran out. The lecturer dismissed class as a result.

SHAMROCK STREAKERS FROM CLASSROOMS TO TOUR GROUPS, STUDENTS DISH OUT HIGH FIVES, HUGS IN DISPLAY OF ST. PATRICK’S DAY SPIRIT Curtiss P. Martin Staff Writer

Four students added a dash of color to campus by reddening their cheeks on an invigorating run this past St. Patrick’s Day. Wearing only thong underwear and a smile, the quad raised the ire and eyebrows of numerous passers-by as they sought to proclaim their school spirit. “We’ve been doing this run for two years now,” Mark Irwin, a sophomore in material science engineering, said. “A group of us got the idea while living on the second floor of Becton Hall.” The runners certainly appeared confident and experienced, as they vaunted up Hillsborough street from their home base located on Chamberlain Street. However, a certain amount of doubt hung in the air, as the group greeted passersby out on the sidewalk prior to their 1:15 SHAMROCK continued page 6

AUSTIN DOWD/TECHNICIAN

Without warning, Juli Mulreaney, a freshman in textile and apparel management, is hugged by a group of streakers. The group ran from the Brickyard to the Tri-Towers, and then back around to the Brickyard wearing only thongs and paint to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

The posters are hung and the sandwich boards are mounted. Campaigning for the spring elections is in full swing, with some additional publicity strategies for this year’s candidates. Aside from debates and fliers, candidates are turning to Facebook.com messaging as a way to reach voters, although the method may be in violation of the Student Body statutes. According to the chapter 7-4.9 of the statues, “no candidate shall send e-mails to potential voters without explicit permission.” The question, according to candidates, becomes whether messaging Facebook users constitutes random messaging without explicit permission or is another way of establishing contact with acquaintances. James Hankins, a sophomore in political science, said he plans to message members of his Facebook campaign group reminding them about elections, “preferably voting for me.” Hankins is running for Student Senate president. He pointed to group membership as voluntary and said members of campaign groups can expect to see messages from the candidates they are supporting. “People who join Facebook groups are acknowledging an acquaintance,” said Kevin Hassell, chair of the Student Government elections commission. He compared it to making an announcement to a class the candidate was enrolled in, assuming that the people in the class would be his or her acquaintance. Although Hassell cited messaging as a violation — similar to mass e-mailing — he said it will only be confronted if the violations are reported by students who are messaged. Each instance will be judged on a case-by-case basis, he said, but people who are friends or members of groups are being regarded as acquaintances and messaging them will not pose a serious threat to this year’s candidates. FACEBOOK continued page 6

insidetechnician

MSA’s cultural show draws diverse crowd The Muslim Student Association night marked by performances by Native Deen Emily Kiser Staff Writer

NATHAN BULLEN/TECHNICIAN

Native Deen performs during MSA night at Stewart Theatre.

The Muslim Student Association hosted MSA night Saturday in Stewart Theatre, drawing about 400 audience members from high schools, colleges and the surrounding communities. The theme of the show was “The Missing Peace.” The program featured Native Deen, a Muslim hip-hop group and videos that gave a Muslim

perspective on pop culture, like, “Making the Imam,” a spin-off on MTV’s “Making the Band.” Sara Yasin, MSA designer and sophomore in textile and apparel management, said the event went “really awesome.” “It was very different than it’s ever been before,” Yasin said. “I haven’t been to a whole bunch in the past, but traditionally it was always an event that just Muslims went to and this year we expanded the audiences so a lot of people who weren’t Muslim did come out and that was really cool.” Native Deen consists of three African-American Muslim men and has performed at Islamic

conferences, fundraisers, weddings and holiday gatherings around the world. The group raps about Muslim life in America and uses its lyrics to inspire young people to keep their faith. “We had an excellent turnout and the crowd really loved the performances by Native Deen and some of the other performances we had by the students,” said Ameir AlZoubi, president of MSA and a sophomore in computer science. The event served to entertain but was also in response MSA continued page 6

Horns finish off Pack See page 12.

(nineonenine) viewpoint classifieds sports weather today

57°/43°

Not one letter to the editor was published after the Technician gave the Shamrock Streakers page one coverage

3 9 11 12 tomorrow

46°/35°

July 5

At 4:10, Provost Larry Nielsen authorizes removal of the media fliers and “didn’t feel it was appropriate for the Student Media to distribute the fliers at the info fairs….”

July 5

Dukes contacts Giancola at around 4:20 p.m. to discuss why fliers were pulled and whether this was censorship

July 5

Dukes assigns story to Harrell at around 4:30 p.m. to avoid conflict of interest; Dukes contacts Student Press Law Center and visits with Adam Goldstein who confirmed that this was a clear-cut case of censorship; Josh interviews provost for story at around 5 p.m.; Dukes contacts News & Observer and WRAL

July 6

Story runs in Technician on page 1; first day of Orientation

Yeah babY As Mark Irwin, a sophomore in materials science engineering, runs down the ailse of a MA 131 class in Harrelson Hall, Sheyda Foroudi, a freshman in First Year College, laughs along with the rest of her class at the semi-nude classroom invasion. Photo by Austin Dowd

Less is More During a math class in Harrelson Hall on Saint Patrick’s day, Mark Irwin, a sophomore in materials science engineering, runs down the aisle of the classroom giving high fives to students. Erwin and three others streaked across campus and ran through one classroom to celebrate the holiday. Photo by Austin Dowd

Wearing Only smiles

Your LuckY daY Without warning, Juli Mulreaney, a freshman in textiles, gets hugged by a group of streakers. The group ran from the Brickyard to the tri towers, and then back around to the Brickyard wearing only thongs and paint. Photo by Austin Dowd

Streakers amuse campus on St. Patty’s Day by Curtiss Martin

schooL cLothes The four streakers make their way up the ramp inside Harrelson Hall. The group ran through Harrelson before running into the classroom of a familiar teacher. Photo by Austin Dowd

our students added a dash of color to campus by reddening the cheeks of passersby using merely green body paint and surprising confidence on St. Patrick’s Day. Wearing only thong underwear and shameless smiles, the quad raised the ire and eyebrows of numerous bystanders as they sought to proclaim their holiday spirit with little apparent embarrassment. “We’ve been doing this run for two years now,” Mark Irwin, a sophomore in material science engineering, said. “A group of us got the idea while living on the second floor of Becton Hall.” Despite minor insecurities, the group exuded confidence as they greeted passersby prior to their 1:15 p.m. run. “This is going to be terrible,” David Woolard, a senior in mechanical engineering, said. “I’m not in the greatest of shape.” At first crossing through a quiet stretch of the design school, the four soon found themselves face-to-face with a touring group of prospective students and parents in the Court of North Carolina. The festive four frolicked in the general direction of the befuddled group and their tour guide, offering hugs and high fives. “You need to go to N.C. State!” Adam Olejarczyk, a junior in construction engineering, shouted to the group. “You’re going to love it here!” After giving numerous hugs, taking pictures and receiving high fives from the surprised high-school students, the pack made its way back to Hillsborough Street, where they were met with honking horns and jubilant yelps. Bobbing up and down campus’ busiest street, the group made every effort to highlight their attentiongetting attire. “We bought our thongs at Priscilla’s,” Irwin said, “Although, I think that David already had his picked out.”

cLass distraction In celebration of Saint Patrick’s day, David Woolard, a senior in mechanical engineering, draws a clover on the white-board of a math class in Harrelson Hall. Woolard ran into the class wearing only paint and a blue thong, drew on the board and ran out. Photo by Austin Dowd

064-065 Streakers.indd 64-65

Woolard, wearing a navy blue thong with the “Top Gun” logo printed on its front, didn’t seem the slightest bit embarrassed. “The only thing is that I need to keep shifting in order to avoid tan lines,” Woolard said. “I really should have bought some baby oil,” Garner said. “I didn’t expect to be running so much.” Indeed, the infallible four continued their run into the Brickyard. “I love to see it swing,” Sharee Shaw, a food service worker at Lil Dinos, said. “Those boys are crazy!” Making their presence known and drawing a shamrock on one of Harrelson’s infamous curved chalkboards, the group soon left in hooting, hollering glory. The lecturer, clearly aware that any attempt to resume her class would be futile, decided to let her students leave early. “We practically liberated that classroom,” Olejarczyk said, after being told of the classroom’s early dismissal. As the runners neared their final destination, they were interdicted by Campus Police. Citing the group for disorderly conduct, the officers informed three of the four students that they had two days to report to the Office of Student Conduct. One of the runners was too quick to be caught, emitting cartoonish gibberish as he fled. The runners assured the officers that they had maintained a state of semi-dress for the entirety of their journey. “That’s why you’re not going to jail,” Campus Police Officer John Seay replied as he wrote out citations. Proud and defiant, the group made its way back to their house on Chamberlain Street. In the crisp, summery light of the fresh Friday afternoon, Olejarczyk looked up to the sky and stretched his hands out into the air and recounted the history he had helped to make. Suddenly, a car horn honked and an angry driver yelled for him to move out of the middle of the street. “He didn’t seem to have any St. Patty’s Day spirit, did he?” Olejarczyk said.

65 |streakers

In an e-mail to McGraw and Ambrose and copied to Nancy Jenkins, Dr. Tom Stafford, Wilson, Rain, Reiman, Lisa Zapata and David Drooz, Giancola said “I was prepared to give the authorization to have the Student Media flier pulled from the Orientation packets based on the offensive picture of the ‘Shamrock Streakers’ and the potential wrong message it would send to the members of the University community.” However, an attorney representing the University said, according to Giancola, “we would be putting ourselves in a tough legal position if we pulled the piece now, given that the invitation from NSO did not mention that the materials would be screened and approved before placing in the packet.”

student life|

July 5

|streakers

Holiday

student life|

July 4

7/14/06 2:56:48 PM

2007 Agromeck, pages 64-65

Nubian Message March 29, 2006

If the tables were turned… By Tempestt Richardson Staff writer In the Monday March 20, 2006 edition of the Technician, the front page was very catchy and quite memorable. It left students intrigued to read the complete details of the “Shamrock Streakers.” Allegedly in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, a group of four students ran around campus sporting only thong underwear. However, I found the picture to be quite shocking although I was surprised to see such a daring act completed by university students. Nonetheless, it was undoubtedly repulsive. When I read the article I was surprised to see the minimum punishment that they received from campus police.

During the course of the run, the group stopped and posed for pictures and even stumbled upon a group of probable students and parents. Would my parents have wanted to see that while touring the potential campus for their daughter to attend? It was also incredibly apparent to me that the Technician portrayed the incident as if it were a joke. Was it? How did the Technician obtain such great pictures of the participants and quote a worker in Lil’ Dino’s of the Atrium if they were not previously aware that this was going to take place and/or not following the group? So, the thought immediately popped into my head and I wondered if it were safe to say, if this were a group of

African American students would they have received a harsher form of punishment? Would it have been as humorous as it apparently is here, or would it have been a complete disgrace? The group of streakers were cited for disorderly conduct and given two days to report to the Office of Student Conduct. Would African American students have had two days to report? What actions will the Office of Student Conduct take? No, this incident was not one of indecent exposure but it is not too far from it. We will just have to wait to hear what happens to the students once Student Conduct puts something in place, if we will even hear about it.

Players

July 6

At 8 a.m., Wilson meets with Stafford initially alone but later with Dukes

July 6

McGraw confirms with Giancola and that restuffing for session 2 would occur on July 9

July 6

At 11:58 a.m. Wilson sends an e-mail asking for clarification about whether fliers could be distributed on campus outside of packets

July 6

At around 1:30 p.m. Dukes and Wilson met with in Giancola’s office with Reiman and Stafford by phone; stickers brought up as possible solution to get fliers so Student Media could meet its recruitment goals while not “giving in” to perceived censorship; provost says stickers a viable option but will not one that uses the word “censorship”

July 6

At around 2:30 p.m., Dukes, Cynthia Rouf, Austin Dowd, Brandon Wright, Pete Ellis and Wilson met to discuss options

July 6

At 3:50 p.m., students met with Stafford, Reiman, Giancola to prioritize options; agreed to meet with provost at around 5:30 p.m.

July 6

At 5:30 p.m., Group meets with provost to consider and prioritize options; settle on sticker without the use of the word censorship and that fliers could be distributed anywhere without alteration except in the Orientation packets; stickers sent to printer

July 7

News & Observer runs page 1 story; ABC11 runs story on 6 p.m. news

July 7

At 8:26 a.m., Dukes invites Nielsen to write guest column; Nielsen says, “I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to pass,” due to lack of time but says he would be happy to talk with reporters about follow-up article; confirmed that sticker looks fine

Provost Larry Nielsen

Austin Dowd • director of photography for the Student Media and photographer of the “Shamrock Streakers” photos David Drooz • senior associate general counsel for NCSU Pete Ellis • photography editor for the Technician Michael Giancola • director of the Center for Student Leadership, Ethics and Public Service Adam Goldstein • attorney with the Student Press Law Center Katie Graf • design editor for the Technician and designer of some of the recruitment materials including the Student Media recruitment flier Josh Harrell • managing editor of the Technician Nancy Jenkins • administrative assistant in the office of the vice chancellor for student affairs Erica Lezan • assistant director of New Student Orientation Roxanna McGraw • director of New Student Orientation Dr. Larry Nielsen • provost Christy Rain • administrative assistant in Talley Student Center Evelyn Reiman • associate vice chancellor for student affairs Cynthia Rouf • Agromeck yearbook editor Tim Simmons • reporter for the Raleigh News & Observer Dr. Tom Stafford • vice chancellor for student affairs Bradley Wilson • Wilson is coordinator of student media advising and serves as the adviser to all the Student Media. As a full-time employee of the University, as the University’s attorney reminded him, “his first loyalty has to be to the University.” However, as the adviser to the Student Media, he has to put “students first.” Brandon Wright • Agromeck yearbook managing editor Lisa Zapata • assistant vice chancellor for student affairs

The “Join the Team” flier was one of two fliers put in the Orientation packets for Student Media. According to Orientation staff, their job was to stuff the packets, not determine whether the content should go in them or not. Staff members said they have never questioned content before and have never had to pull a flier from the packets before this flier was pulled.

Technician          

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Raleigh, North Carolina

AUSTIN DOWD/ TECHNICIAN FILE PHOTO

Technician Copy Desk Chief Megan Riley is surrounded by the “Shamrock Streakers” last St. Patrick’s day. The photo was a part of the Student Media flier to be put in Orientation packets before the school’s administration authorized the removal of the fliers from the packet.

Administration authorizes removal of fliers from Orientation packets Provost Larry Nielsen makes the decision to remove “inappropriate” fliers Josh Harrell Managing Editor

Late Wednesday afternoon, Provost Larry Nielsen informed Orientation workers that a decision had been made to remove Student Media promotional fliers from the Orientation packets set to be distributed starting Thursday due to an “inappropriate” photo. “I asked to have them taken out because it was inappropriate for Orientation,” Nielsen said. Nielsen said the decision was made around 3:30, and he informed Orientation representatives immediately after. Technician Editor in Chief Tyler Dukes said one of the things he was most upset about was the timing of the situation.

“We turned the fl iers in by deadline according to the guidelines,” Dukes said. “They had two weeks to figure out if the material was good to go and now there is nothing Student Media can do before orientees get the packets.” The guidelines, given out by Gabe Wical, the assistant director of Orientation, give the sizes fliers need to be, the number needed and the time on which they must be delivered to Orientation representatives. Student Media spent $2,000 on the production of the fl iers, according to Dukes, who said the Orientation representatives should have been more clear on restrictions. “We’re trying to get people interested in joining Student Media and there’s no way we can do anything before the first group of new students come in,” Dukes said. “They don’t think it’s the image Student Media wants to send out. But, in my point of view, it’s not their job to make those decisions.” According to Nielsen, “Anybody looking

at [the flier] would see why it was inappropriate.” The image portrays Technician Copy Desk Chief Megan Riley being surrounded by streakers on St. Patrick’s Day. Riley was doing a story on the streakers. “It’s a great and accurate representation of the things you’ll see in college,” Dukes said. “College is about a lot more than people think, and people learn that quickly. I still see things I never imagined I’d see when I walk around campus.” According to Dukes, Student Media sought legal advice from the Student Press Law Center, a group created for student journalists. “We want to make sure the fliers are placed back in the bag or we are refunded the money,” Dukes said. “I feel we were mistreated and feel we shouldn’t have to pay $2,000 and not be refunded. So we’re pursuing that avenue.” Full disclosure: Tyler Dukes is a member of the Technician editorial board

PAGE 5 • Thursday, July 6, 2006

Viewpoint

Technician

from the editor’s desk

CENSORSHIP HARMS UNIVERSITY IMAGE After three years of reporting for Technician, I’ve seen a pretty wide range of things this University has to offer. I’ve covered ticket scandals, car accidents and murder trials — but through all that, I’ve never been more surprised than I was as I sat in my office Wednesday afternoon. Tyler It was there the adviser for StuDukes Editor in Chief dent Media informed me that at 4 p.m., the day before the first orientation session was to begin, Provost Larry Nielsen authorized employees in the office of New Student Orientation to pull the fliers Student Media had produced to recruit new students there. I was speechless. I failed to understand why University administrators would advocate such a blatant form of censorship over material like this. It didn’t advocate illegal activity. It didn’t incite onlookers to riot through the Brickyard. It wasn’t even something Campus Police considered at the time to be indecent exposure. The controversy arose over one of the six photos printed on the flier. It depicted one of our female staff members being hugged by the “Shamrock Streakers,” a group of male students who ran through campus in thongs and green body paint on St. Patrick’s Day — an event which ran as the dominant story in this very paper the day after. After the scant amount of discussions I was able to have with various administrators in the hour before the end of the business day, I was able to figure out that concerns over the photo were primarily related to how Student Media was presenting itself to the new students. Although this sentiment probably comes with good intentions, concerns over how this organization presents itself is not the job of this administration. It’s ours. Like every other medium, every photo, every headline and every caption that appears in this publica-

tion requires discussion, editing and review. We think about how every story will make us appear to the public, how every photo will affect our readers. This flier was no different. Now I’m not saying by any means that the University administration has no right to pay attention to what goes in those packets for new students, especially if they would like to make a distinction that everything in these packets is clearly endorsed by the University. They can throw out every single flier they think doesn’t adequately represent the University, every thing they think any parent or new student may find offensive. But if they want to make sure they are only portrayed in a positive light, it’s up to them to make sure the guidelines state, very clearly, that this is what they want. As it stands, Student Media did everything the pagelong guidelines dictated for the submission of fliers into the orientation packets, including submitting the flier to representatives for New Student Orientation by June 23 — almost two weeks ago. We realized a long time ago that orientation is the most crucial time for recruiting the students we need to supply the campus with five different sources of media. It was even the place I was recruited when I entered as a freshman. That’s why Student Media decided to invest $2,000 on fliers meant to encourage students to get involved and continually improve these publications. The actions by Nielsen will undoubtedly hurt our recruitment and we will have to work harder to get students interested in working for Student Media. One way or another, we’re going to get our $2,000 back. In the meantime, we’ll show students that photo and cover this issue until we find out what the University will do to rectify the situation. You can be sure we’ll bring this issue right out into the open where it should be. Because there’s one thing about censorship — it’s only effective if it’s kept silent.

NORTH CAROLINA — It is not every day that one sees men in thong underwear, and that is exactly what student editors at North Carolina State University were thinking when they created their recruitment flier. But a provost did not share the students’ vision, or at least he did not want the flier with the exposed buttocks in a photo of campus streakers in an orientation packet for incoming students. Editors for the Technician, the student newspaper at NCSU, said they were notified Wednesday that a recruitment flier for student media would be pulled from packets created for an incoming student orientation held Thursday and Friday. Provost Larry Nielsen could not be reached for comment, but he told the Technician that he did not feel the fliers were appropriate for orientation. The fliers contain a picture of a Technician reporter being hugged by a group of “shamrock streakers” on St. Patrick’s Day, said Tyler Dukes, Technician editor in chief. “[The picture] shows [the reporter] in the middle of this group of guys and she’s laughing, but of course you can see their rear ends which had shamrocks painted on them,” Dukes said. Dukes said he met with Nielsen and other administrators Thursday to discuss the situation. After an hour long meeting, both sides agreed that the fliers could be included in the packets for future orientations this summer with a sticker over the picture in question that would read, “Why is this sticker here? Visit the Technicianonline.com for the whole story,” Dukes said. The fliers were distributed in packets at another orientation session for incoming freshmen that started yesterday. “By referring people to our Web site we were able to reach our short term goal of [recruiting students] without caving to the administration,” Dukes said. Dukes said he originally wanted the sticker to say “censored.” But he said Nielsen did not like that idea because he felt he was not censoring the paper. However, administrators did agree to pay for the cost of the stickers as well as reimbursing the paper for the fliers that were pulled from last week’s orientation. Dukes said that should cost administrators around $650. “We’re going to update our Web site and update the story and we’re also going to keep the story on our homepage as a feature story so anyone who gets a censored copy of the flier can visit our homepage all summer,” Dukes said, adding that the paper’s staff would be handing out uncensored copies of the flier at their informational table during orientation as well. Dukes said he did not anticipate he would have any other problems with administrators and said the whole situation was “a learning experience.” “I think it kind of improved the relationship [between the newspaper and the administration] because the administration got to sit around with these student media leaders and see how they think,” Dukes said.

—by Suzanne Bell, SPLC staff writer

http://www.splc.org/newsflash.asp?id=1300

Administration, Student Media reach compromise on fliers The two groups agreed upon a sticker covering the photo that the administration had deemed inappropriate Josh Harrell Managing Editor

After a meeting between University administrators and Student Media leaders last Thursday, the two sides reached an agreement to cover the controversial “Shamrock Streakers” photo on Student Media’s Orientation fliers with a sticker. The sticker will read “Why is this sticker here? Visit technicianonline.com for the story.” The confl ict arose last week after Provost Larry Nielsen authorized the removal of Student Media fl iers from Orientation packets. “The photograph was inappropriate as part of a recruiting document,” Nielsen said. The photo depicted the “Shamrock Streakers” surrounding Technician Copy Desk Chief Megan Riley during her coverage of the event. “We just did it to have some fun,” Adam Olejarczyk, one of the streakers, said. “We complain about how campus becomes boring sometimes, and you see that kind

of stuff on Animal House, but never really on campus.” The announcement of the removal came at 4 p.m. last Wednesday, the day before Orientation packets were set to be distributed to new students. The two sides met the next afternoon to discuss what could be done for promotional fliers. “We had two goals going into the meeting,” Tyler Dukes, the editor in chief of the Technician, said. “We wanted to get the fliers out as soon as possible so we could get the information out to potential recruits, and we also wanted to fight the censorship and take the steps to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.” Dukes said the groups narrowed the options down to two: reprint the fliers, or use stickers to cover the photo in question. “The stickers were a good idea because they’re quick to print and it will make people aware of what happened,” Dukes said. Further discussion continued on what would be written on the stickers. Initially, Student Media pushed for the word “Censored” to be on the sticker, but Nielsen disagreed. “I still feel that it wasn’t in any way a censorship issue, so it wasn’t what I felt should be on the flier,” he said. The two sides reached a compromise on the sticker, and after the stickers were print-

ed, Student Media proceeded to place them on the fl iers that would go in Orientation packets to be given out starting Monday. Nielsen said he would pay for the cost of stickers and labor that it would take to cover the photograph. “I’m sympathetic to the fact that student groups do not have a lot of money, and money shouldn’t be an issue,” Nielsen said. Dukes said as far as Student Media is concerned, the matter is now settled. “We really regret this happened in the first place, because it is a concerning thing when the administration advocates any kind of censorship of free speech,” Dukes said. “But the administration was really willing to work with us to resolve the situation and it was defi nitely a learning experience for both groups.” Nielsen said he is pleased with the way the discussions went and how the compromise was handled. “The sticker makes the whole thing more meaningful,” Nielsen said. “Students who are already interested might follow up and be presented with the dilemma which might stimulate further interest in Student Media.”

Thursday, July 13, 2006 • Page 5

Viewpoint

Technician

Pulling the fliers was the right decision The morning of March 17, I had the luxury of being an innocent bystander when four young men bedecked with the skimpiest amount of green and shameless energy evoked awkward smiles and shocked stares from the few stragglers on Sara the Brickyard. Yasin Guest Columnist The incident sparked some controversy, and soon after, I did not really think about it much. Little did I know that they would spark controversy again, let alone bring any type of stress into my world. I have always been one of the first to stand up and protest a decision on behalf of an administrator that I found unjust and unfair. This time around, I come from a different perspective. I am not a student senator this time, but a student assistant for New Student Orientation. In the case of the fliers that were printed by Student Media to be placed in the Information Folders for New Student Orientation, I firmly support the Provost’s decision to pull the fliers for having the image of the “Shamrock Streakers.” I do not think this is a matter of ethics, or a moral crusade. About 5,500 students are making their way to becoming a part of our campus. These students, through New Student Orientation,

will be provided with the necessary information they need to thrive at N.C. State. I feel as though the administration has the right to determine what information they feel represents it (including images), and it has the right to select what parts of campus life it would like to represent. The question of censorship would come in if it were about the administration telling Technician that it could not print the image of the “Shamrock Streakers.” It is completely the administration’s call on what is to go into the information folders. However, I do not feel this is a case of censorship because it is not the right of Student Media to put whatever they would like in the information folder, it is a privilege to be able to be a part of the information provided directly into the hands of students. By the time that the fliers come around to us to stuff the folders, we assume that they have been approved by the respective departments. As members of the student staff at NSO, we are trained not only to ask questions, but also to have the right information to answer any questions that may arise. The content of the flier was questionable and we knew that a parent or even a student would most likely ask a question about the image. I do not know what I find more stressful. The fact that a campus department cannot survive without trying to push boundaries or the

fact that the student staff has to do a whole lot more extra work. While the members of Student Media seem to boulder on a moral crusade, we have another tedious task to worry about. If we cannot trust departments to be mature and to put content that is not questionable in the folders, that just creates more work to do. The question could not be asked until the fliers were delivered. It is not our fault that the fliers weren’t “clean,” and it was completely our right to question them and to send them to our supervisors. We knew who would end up cleaning up the mess, but sometimes, it is not about the mess that is created but rather about preventing the even larger mess that would have been created by the fliers being distributed. I am disappointed with Technician’s coverage of the incident. It was both one-sided and did not accurately depict the event. The University distributes the information that they feel is necessary for students to have. However “average student life” is defined by the “average student,” that does not mean there is a moral need to push that on every student. I respect the University’s decision for the sheer fact that it is their right to select what information is to be given to incoming students. If that information does not include the jolly green streakers, then that is fine by me.

Thursday, July 13, 2006 • Page 5

Viewpoint

Technician

Campus forum To submit letters to Campus Forum, send your thoughts to viewpoint@technicianonline.com. Please limit responses to 250 words. Technician reserves the right to edit for grammar, style and size. To view campus forums in their entirety, visit www.technicianonline.com.

Provost made right decision Thanks to Provost Larry Nielsen for pulling the plug on the Student Media flier for incoming students. In view of the intense negative publicity surrounding the Duke lacrosse situation, I would think N.C. State students would be a bit more reticent to make a display of male students’ behinds a benchmark of what NCSU is about. Kris Christensen 10916 Clovermill Circle Raleigh, N.C. 27617

Orientation a unique experience for student workers I have a wonderful job. There are definitely some days that are harder than others, but I enjoy my job with New Student Orientation and I enjoy working with my colleagues and respect the work, thought and dedication they put into the task of orienting students to N.C. State. Our student staff is among the most dedicated and knowledgeable students on campus. We require them to complete more than 125 hours of training before their job ever begins. The staff works tirelessly throughout the summer putting in 60 to 70 hours every week doing jobs that few students (or anyone) would be willing to do. They do all of this

for a modest stipend and the satisfaction of welcoming all new students into our great University. They are asked to perform tasks that vary from giving campus tours to helping students register for classes. And as some of you may have heard, they also stuff 6,000 information folders to distribute to all of the incoming students. They don’t always understand the politics or motives behind the tasks they are asked to perform, but complete them with a positive attitude regardless. We in NSO are responsible for providing colleges, campus offices, student groups and others a venue to deliver their messages to incoming students while ensuring these messages represent NCSU in a positive and appropriate manner. The decisions made on every aspect of Orientation are never made in a vacuum. Gabe Wical assistant director, New Student Orientation

Nielsen’s actions inappropriate I was an opinion columnist at Technician from 1998 until 2001, including two years editing the opinion section. I was exposed to all kinds of ideas — both informed and inane. The experience was critical to my career as a journalist, which took me to Congressional

reporting for The Chronicle of Higher Education as well as regular writing jobs for Playboy and The New York Times, among other publications. My experience with Technician also inspired me to go through Columbia University’s esteemed graduate school program in journalism. In short, my experience with Technician — by which I mean my ability to enjoy rather unfettered freedom of the press — made me the journalist I am today. After a long analysis of a national anti-fun college trend I wrote for Playboy’s college issue last year, Provost Nielsen’s clumsy, naive censorship comes as no surprise. What surprises me, though, is that he seems to think shamrocks on asses are more inappropriate on a public college campus than, say, corporate logos on its buildings at Centennial Campus. Maybe if Student Media were more profitable, he’d be less antagonistic? It’s sad how true that is. Bottom line: the shamrocks are fun, which is appropriate for college life last I checked. It’s Nielsen who is the inappropriate ass. Richard Morgan Class of 2001

http://www.popecenter.org, July 10, 2006

Costs Fliers (10,000) (Image Media)................ $1,803.00 Copied labels (700) (Sir Speedy)................ $36.75 Copied labels (600) (Sir Speedy)................ $35.50 Printed labels (5,000) (Sir Speedy)...........$407.07 TOTAL.............................................................. $2282.32 Student Media invested about 30 person-hours applying the stickers to the 6,000 fliers for the Orientation packets. At July 6 meeting, provost agreed to pay for all fliers not distributed, printing of labels and labor required to stuff fliers back into packets which would be done by the Orientation staff, not Student Media.

Raleigh News & Observer • Page 1 • July 7, 2006

Daily Tar Heel • Page 3 • July 13, 2006

Broadcast on ABC11 July 7, 2006

ABC11 first aired the story at 6 p.m., halfway through the newscast with five teasers promoting it in advance.

The story showed examples from the Technician and discussed how, in March, no one commented. “Administrators had no problem,” reporter Vanessa Welch said.

Angela Hampton opened the story with: “There are cries of censorship at NC State.… A student photographer didn’t realize controversy would follow a picture that he finds funny.”

After hours of arguing with administrators, they reached a compromise, putting smaller copies of this sticker on the fliers.

The conclusion will, in the end, help the media organization recruit more members. A day before Orientation, Welch reported, “the provost wasn’t laughing.” He called the photo “inappropriate” and had 6,000 fliers pulled from Orientation packets. “It is censorship,” Dowd said. “I was upset.”

Bare bottoms covered only in shamrocks: “You can’t help but look at and laugh,” said Austin Dowd.

“We wanted to make sure the student body knew that this was some form of censorship,” Dowd said.

Hamton closed by saying that the provost said putting stickers on the photo is not censorship since the flier is a marketing tool that represents the University.